Singapore, 13 July 2016 – Some 200 students across various Junior Colleges, IP Schools, Polytechnics and Universities attended the Business China Youth Showdown this afternoon, with Hwa Chong Institution (Team 1) emerging as the overall champion. The other two winning teams were Singapore Institute of Management (Global Education) and Singapore Polytechnic.
The Youth Showdown, themed “Youths and the Sharing Economy”, saw five finalist teams presenting their research on the challenges and opportunities of the sharing economy and the implications for Singapore. Besides traditional PowerPoint presentations, the students also showcased their creativity through innovative videos and skits.
The Guest-of-Honour was Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth and Ministry of Finance. In her welcome remarks, she said: “The concept of the ‘sharing economy’ is transforming the way we work, live and play. For some industries and firms, it brings about severe disruption to conventional business models. For others, especially consumers, it could mean the unlocking or creation of untold value. By choosing “Youths and the Sharing Economy” as the theme of this year’s Youth Showdown, Business China is focusing on a subject that not only has brought about significant changes to the economy worldwide, including to Singapore and China, but looks set to influence business and industries for some time to come.”
The judging panel consisted of Dr Zhou Zhao Cheng, Assistant Vice President (New Growth), Lianhe Zaobao; Mr Benjamin Cheong, Partner, Technology, Media and Telecommunications/ Competition Practice, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; and Mr Olivier Darrieux, Manager, IT Advisory, KPMG. Through the enthusiastic participation from youths both on and off the stage at the event, the judging panel were heartened to see that young Singaporeans are well-informed of the latest developments in China and are able to relate its relevance to Singapore.
The objective of the Business China Youth Showdown is to equip the youths with a deeper understanding of the forces and factors shaping China’s emergence as a global power and more importantly, the relevance of this to Singapore. This bilingual national platform provides the opportunity for Singaporean youths to exchange their views on hot-button China topics and interact with like-minded youths.
The top three teams of the Youth Showdown will be awarded complimentary access to the FutureChina Global Forum held on 18 and 19 July at Shangri-La Hotel Singapore.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Deng Shiying
Senior Associate (Corporate Communications)
Business China
Email: shiying@businesschina.org.sg
About Business China
Launched in November 2007 by Founding Patron and Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Business China’s mission is to nurture an inclusive bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans through extensive use of the Chinese language as the medium of communication, so as to sustain our multi-cultural heritage, and to develop a cultural and economic bridge linking the world and China.
For more information, please visit www.businesschina.org.sg/en.
About Business China Youth Showdown
Business China Youth Showdown was formerly known as FutureChina Youth Showdown, and held in close collaboration with the prestigious FutureChina Global Forum (FCGF) since 2013. This is a bilingual national platform for Singaporean youths to showcase their China knowledge and network with like-minded youths. Participating teams are encouraged to research and present hot-button issues pertaining to China’s growth.